Improvement in uterine supporters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

D. M. DAKE AND S. L. HOCKERT, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN UTERINE SUPPORTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 I,607, dated February 16, 1864.

T0 V1r/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, D. M. DAKE and S. L. HOCKERT, of the city of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Utero-Abdominal Supporters; and we hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of its construction and application, reference being had t0 the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specication, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of our invention is to cure by simple mechanical means every variety of intestinal hernia and prolapsus ani, stricture of the rectum, varicocele; also prolapsus uteri. For this purpose we have constructed our instrument as represented by Figure l, showing a perspective view of our mechanical arrangement for the purposes above stated.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and application.

We construct our utero, abdominal supporter by first forming a front brace, B,.of metal, or any other material that will answer the purpose. At each end of this brace is a long slot, u, and attached thereto, by screws passing through said slots, is the inguinal or pubic pads N N, rounded at top'and bottom, and curved, in the manner shown in the drawings, for purposes hereinafter to be explained. Passing through holes in the front brace trans- Verse to the slots before mentioned, and nearer the center of the brace, are a couple of strong steel wires, A A, (curved so as to extend over the hips of the wearer,) terminating in the sacral pad C, to which they are attached. These wires are covered with cloth or any soft substance, to prevent abrasion of the parts upon which they rest. The sacral pad C, as well as the pubic pads N N, are formed of sheet metal covered with leather, cloth, or any other material that will prevent galling. The wires A A are adjustable-that is, can be lengthened or shortened-by means of the screws P P in the front brace. They may also be provided with small pads at the upper part of the curve, so as to rest upon the hips of the wearer without inconvenience in case .they chafe the parts in contact therewith. From the center of the front brace, B, is secured the pessary H, by means of the light wire spring S. This pessary is formed like a small cup with a series of small holes at its bottom, and is represented as being detached by Fig. 4, the cup or pessary H to be formed of glass or any other material that is antlcorrosive and will answer the purpose. The pessary is made adjustable through the hole L and tightening-screw m in the front brace, B, enabling the pessary t0 be slid up or down at the option of the wearer.

The application of our instrument 1s as follows: When used simply as a utero-supporter, the sacra] pad c is made to rest upon the sacral bone, the wires A A being passed over and resting upon the ilia or hip bones. The ends of the wires are then passed through the front brace, B, and secured by the setscrews P P therein, the inguinal or pubic pads N N pressing upon the pubic bones, and from their shap'e help to support the abdomen, they being adjustable in the slots n n to accommodate the person having them 1n use.- Vhen this is done the pessaryH is passed up into the vagina until the womb rests in the cup, when the wire spring s is secured 1n the hole L in the center of the brace B by the pinch-screw m,which holds the pessary rml y in place, and secures the womb in situ wlthout inconvenience, while the small holesin the bottom of the cup-shaped pessary give free discharge to all excretions from the womb without removal. In case of umbilical hernia the pessary is not used5but from the hole L in the front brace, B, and extending u pward, the hernial pad (Fig. 2) issecured, its position being shown by the dotted lines in Fig. l, the pad F and wire stem Y being covered with cloth or leather, and are arranged so as to be elevated or lowered to suit the position of the rupture, while the wire, from its elasticity, allows the pad to yield with every motion of the body.

When this instrument is used for perineal hernia, instead of the umbilical pad, the perineal pad B, Fig. 5, is placed in the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. l; or, if found necessary, it can be secured to the sacral pad C, according to the nature and situation of the hernia.

When used for stricture of the rectum, the perineal pad is taken away and the wire, Fig. 3, carrying the bougie E is secured in the brace B, in the manner hereinbefore stated for fastening the perineal pad. The bougie E is formed of glass, and represents a small inverted vial. A series of these accompany each instrument, ranging in size from onefourth of an inch in diameter to one and onefourth inches. When the stricture is very severe the smallest is used first, and on up to the largest, they being held in place in the rectum by the long wire on which they are placed.

The great difference in this instrument from all others now in use is this: that While other instruments of this class rest Whollyr upon the abdominal muscles or viscera, thereby interfering with the action of the body, preventing a free discharge from the bladder or rectum, ours rests upon three fixed points on the pelvic bones-the pubis, sacrum, and superior' border of the ilium-Without in any Way infringing upon the action of the abdominal muscles, While, from the construction and position of the front brace, springs and pads may be extended for every Variety of hernia;

and that heretofore the incurable consequences of separation of the pubic bones in child-birth, in .this instrument finds a remedy by holding the bones permanently in contact till reunion takes place.

Having thus described our utero-abdominal supporter, what we claim is- The arrangement of the curved Wires AA, passing through vertical vholes in the front brace, B, and held in position by means of set-screws P P, when used in combination with the inguinal or pubic pads N N, lhaving a lateral or adjusting motion in the long slots n n, and with the central hole, L, and tighteningscrew m, for holding different instruments, ifn the manner and for the purposes herein set orth. A

D. M. BAKE, J. s. HOCKERT.

Witnesses:

I. W. ELLs, WM. L. MCGINN. 

